I saw a YouTube about putting powdery stuff, like spices or cake mix etc. in a small jar with a lid (no band) and putting that jar inside the canister and sealing it. If any stuff comes out of the jar during sealing, it's supposed to go in the canister first an not in the Food Saver unit. The inside jar, with the powdery stuff, gets sealed. I haven't tried it but I would. Especially if it saved the life of the Food Saver.

I saw a YouTube about putting powdery stuff, like spices or cake mix etc. in a small jar with a lid (no band) and putting that jar inside the canister and sealing it. If any stuff comes out of the jar during sealing, it's supposed to go in the canister first an not in the Food Saver unit. The inside jar, with the powdery stuff, gets sealed. I haven't tried it but I would. Especially if it saved the life of the Food Saver.

I can't find the video but I'll keep looking.

Jeepers:

I just tried that and it works great except it does take longer to seal since you are sealing both the jar and the canister. It would probably wear out the vacuum sealer faster...

I have cut out coffee filters to fit my reg mouth and wide mouth Food saver attachments. I read that that also helps prevent powder from getting into the motor.

I saw a YouTube about putting powdery stuff, like spices or cake mix etc. in a small jar with a lid (no band) and putting that jar inside the canister and sealing it. If any stuff comes out of the jar during sealing, it's supposed to go in the canister first an not in the Food Saver unit. The inside jar, with the powdery stuff, gets sealed. I haven't tried it but I would. Especially if it saved the life of the Food Saver.

I can't find the video but I'll keep looking.

Only works if the powder stays in the inside jar. if it gets pulled out, chances are high that the seal will fail due to the powder being between the lid and the jar. You can cut a coffee filter or papertowel to put on top of the powder in the jar before sealing. Press it down pretty firmly and it should help keep the powdery stuff where it belongs.

PS> If you ever vac-seal Mac & cheese, the powder kind, be really careful if you put the cheese packet inside the mason jar to vac-seal. I've had one or two pop their seams in the process. the vacuum in the jar makes the pouch puff out (because it has normal atmospheric pressure inside the pouch, though not a huge quantity of air), and the pressure exerted by the pouch expanding can cause a sideseam to fail, spilling the cheese sauce into the main part of the jar. If storing Mac & cheese, better to go the route of packing it into buckets with O2 absorbers. (I'm not doing Mac & cheese either way anymore since the celiac diagnosis, but you can fit 4-5 boxes worth in one half-gallon mason jar if you're careful.)

PPS> If you ever want a quick fun thing to amuse the kids, get some marshmallows and vac-seal them. makes them puff up HUGE. Then release the pressure all at once and watch them shrivel in an instant. Great for a giggle with younger children.

I saw a YouTube about putting powdery stuff, like spices or cake mix etc. in a small jar with a lid (no band) and putting that jar inside the canister and sealing it. If any stuff comes out of the jar during sealing, it's supposed to go in the canister first an not in the Food Saver unit. The inside jar, with the powdery stuff, gets sealed. I haven't tried it but I would. Especially if it saved the life of the Food Saver.

I can't find the video but I'll keep looking.

Only works if the powder stays in the inside jar. if it gets pulled out, chances are high that the seal will fail due to the powder being between the lid and the jar. You can cut a coffee filter or papertowel to put on top of the powder in the jar before sealing. Press it down pretty firmly and it should help keep the powdery stuff where it belongs.

PS> If you ever vac-seal Mac & cheese, the powder kind, be really careful if you put the cheese packet inside the mason jar to vac-seal. I've had one or two pop their seams in the process. the vacuum in the jar makes the pouch puff out (because it has normal atmospheric pressure inside the pouch, though not a huge quantity of air), and the pressure exerted by the pouch expanding can cause a sideseam to fail, spilling the cheese sauce into the main part of the jar. If storing Mac & cheese, better to go the route of packing it into buckets with O2 absorbers. (I'm not doing Mac & cheese either way anymore since the celiac diagnosis, but you can fit 4-5 boxes worth in one half-gallon mason jar if you're careful.)

PPS> If you ever want a quick fun thing to amuse the kids, get some marshmallows and vac-seal them. makes them puff up HUGE. Then release the pressure all at once and watch them shrivel in an instant. Great for a giggle with younger children.

I dehydrate marshmellows. Either buy the small ones or cut large ones in half. It takes a while and may feel like they are not done...but after cooling they become hard. Makes sort of like Lucky Charm bits... They are very tasty...I actually prefer them dehydrated.